Never Liked Snow
by VisualKeiMYV382DMC
Summary: Andou is still trying to get Ninako to like him, but when he meets Ame, will he be able to let go of his feelings for Ninako? AndouxOC. Roughly takes place around chapter 33! Potential SPOILERS if you haven't read that far!
1. Chapter 1: Smile

**A/N:****I just got Strobe Edge added, so I wanted to put something up right away! I wrote this in like…two minutes, and I'm gonna change it.**

…**Sorry for the weird, crappy writing. **

I really didn't expect my life to change this much. Yes, high school was becoming harder, my friend was moving away but the last thing I expected was that I would fall in love.

With a guy who already loved someone else, no less.

I don't even remember ever having a crush on another boy, let alone being _in love_. Granted, it took a while for that to actually happen…

School was pretty monotonous, as usual. Kids were being annoying, homework piling up… so much homework. My friend, Midori, hadn't moved away yet.

"Let's go to the basketball game!"

"Ugh, why?"

"We have nothing else to do." …She had a point. My kendo practice had been rescheduled, and she didn't have any violin lessons today. So, I agreed, having no idea that this would be the start of a very… weird situation.

The crowd at the game was already full of screaming girls. Midori found us seats near the front and got us some drinks. I sighed, watching the players run back and forth for a moment, before pulling out my notebook.

One of the things I wanted to be when I grew up was a tattoo artist. None of my designs were very good, but they were fun to draw.

I noticed that one of the players always had a silly smile on his face… constantly. It was actually amazing that he could smile for so long, and he kept looking at the same place in the crowd. _Probably a girl he likes, or his friends._

"Hey, Midori?"

"Hmm?"

"The player that just left, don't you think he looked kinda sick?"

"Hmm, maybe. I gotta go home though."

"Alright." I walked Midori to the door, then went to the bathroom. I wetted a paper towel, and jogged outside. _Maybe he's over here?_ I walked until I found a tree, where, sure enough, he was lying under. His face was flushed and he was breathing shallowly. I dropped the paper towel on his forehead.

"Whaa—!" His eyes shot open, and he stood up.

"If you're going to play like that, you should have water with you." I said.

"Well, why didn't you bring me some?" He said, but I could tell he wasn't serious. A small smile was hiding on his face.

"I got you the paper towel! You can get your own water." I said. Finally he grinned and I laughed. "I'm Ame,"

"Takumi," he said.


	2. Chapter 2: New Friend

**A/N: Hey guys… so the new Strobe Edge chapter came out (23) and I fangirled over Andou-kun…although he wasn't in it as much. So this chapter had to be written, even though my writing is **_**dead**_**. Eventually I'll probably go back and rewrite the first chapter…although it'll probably take forever.**

**Sorry if he's OOC…. I fail at keeping characters in character. And Ame's a weirdo…all of my OCs are weirdos and not developed, hehe. **

**Oh well, enjoy X3. **

I sat down next to him and pulled out my notebook. Takumi-san kept the paper towel against his forehead.

"I haven't seen you before—are you new?" He said.

"Nope, I guess I just keep to myself."

"Aw, you shouldn't. It's fun to get to know people." I shrugged, finishing up one of my designs. "It is!" He said when I didn't answer.

"If they're good people."

"But you don't know if they're good people unless you get to know them."

"True. But I'm lazy." I poked out my tongue at him and grabbed the paper towel from him.

"Hey!" I had fun trying to keep it away from him for a while, but he eventually snatched it back. He placed it on top of his head (which seemed pointless…) and leaned over my notebook. "What're those?"

"Tattoo designs."

"Can I see?" He held out his hand for the notebook and I gave it to him. He flipped through the pages and to my horror turned to the beginning.

"Those aren't good…" I said. I had done them when I was just starting to become interested in tattoos. I waited for him to laugh, because my drawings resembled amorphous blobs… but he only smiled.

"You worked hard." Takumi-san said, handing me the notebook back.

"Thanks. You played good."

We fell into idle chat for a while and eventually I laid down next to him.

"Let's tell a story using the clouds!" I said.

"How?"

"Try to find one that looks like something—that can be the main character. And then find one that looks like a place or an object and then try to create a story. I do this with Midori all the time."

"…That one looks like a peanut."

"Where?"

"There." Takumi-san pointed, but I still couldn't see it.

"…Did you hit your head?"

"No! See, it's right there. Next to the one that looks like a tree."

"I still don't—"

"Ame-chan!" Midori's voice interrupted me. I quickly stood up.

"Midori-chan—I thought you went home."

"I diiiid, but my mom said there's this movie she wants to take us to sometime, so I came back to ask you." She shot a glance at Takumi-san and me. He rose and brushed the grass off his pants.

"Uh… this is—" I started.

"I'm Midori!" Midori said, beaming at Takumi-san.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Andou Takumi." **[A/N: In Japan that's how they introduce themselves… so I decided to become authentic…just now…And Midori didn't do that cuz she's crazy…] **

"Hi! So, did Ame-chan ask you out?"

"Midori-chan!" I yelled, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth. She struggled, giggling like crazy. "Sorry, Takumi-san. She's nuts." But he was laughing, thankfully not bothered by it.

"Well, I should get home. We should finish that story sometime." He said.

"I'd like that." I said, still keeping my hand firmly over Midori-chan's mouth. Takumi-san waved and walked away. When he was out of sight, I released Midori-chan.

"Are you _finally_ interested in boys! Did you play the game we play with him!" She immediately screamed.

"Midori-chan, have you been reading shoujo manga again?"

"…Yes. And I drank coffee on the way here."

"Then let's get you home before you become a menace to society." I draped an arm around her and listened to her prattle.

"…_really_ cute… some girls talking about him…used to play around but he doesn't do that anymore. I think he has a girl he likes now, isn't that cute? Maybe he'll fall for you though! So are you free on Saturday? We can go see that movie! Oh, and also…" I chuckled at Midori-chan, she hadn't been this hyper in a really long time.

"I'm home!" I called out. My aunt backed out of the kitchen, holding a fire extinguisher. "…Did you kill the oven again?"

"The dish just caught fire, that's all! Uh… wanna run to the store and get some sushi?" She said.

"Alright, after I change clothes." I jogged upstairs and quickly threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt.

The supermarket was surprisingly crowded. After pushing past other customers, I finally found the sushi I wanted. I struggled to get in line.

"Ame-san!" A voice yelled. I stood on my tiptoes and finally spotted Takumi-san, holding a case of soda. He pushed through the crowd toward me. "I forgot to get your number."

"Uh… my number?"

"Yes!" Grinning, he pulled out his cell phone. I laughed and exchanged numbers with him. "I'll call you, okay? Gah!" He was suddenly sandwiched between two groups of customers and I wasn't able to contain my laugh. His face looked hilarious, like a fish.

"See you!" I said once I recovered. I stepped up to the cash register to buy my sushi.

"Oh… sooo… what happened?" My aunt said, once I arrived home.

"Nothing, I got food… Why do you think something happened?" I dropped the sushi on the table and we began to eat.

"You walked in giggling."

"Ah, my new friend was just being funny." I sighed at her overly eager face and decided to indulge her. She practically squealed when I told her his name. _…Is it really that big of a deal? Well, for all I know she's reading shoujo manga too… _

I was doodling in my notebook when Takumi-san called.

"Hello?" I said.

"Look outside! I want to try that story thing." He said.

"Alright, alright." I jumped off my bed and opened the curtains. "Uhh… There aren't really many clouds…"

"I see one!"

"Yeah, I see them too, but it doesn't look like anything."

"Then it can be a blob."

"Okay."

We made up a silly story about a blob that goes to the moon, and then stopped when we couldn't come up with anything else. "Takumi-san, I wish it was the weekend tomorrow…"

" 'Takumi-san' sounds too formal. Let's just use our first names." He said.

"Hmmm, okay. But it should really be the weekend tomorrow."

"Yes. I have gym… I'm gonna skip."

"Won't you get caught?"

"Skip with me!"

"No. I should really go to bed…"

"Aw, okay… 'Night, Ame-chan!"

"'Night, Takumi." I hung up and snuggled under my covers. _Tomorrow should be fun… _

**A/N: Reviews make me happy forever and ever and ever! **


	3. Chapter 3: Sun

**A/N: I wrote this while reading chapter 29 of Strobe Edge, and listening to sad music. I have no idea where in the manga this takes placeeee… so there might be spoilers, but I'll warn you guys. (Not that anyone reads this so I guess I'm talking to myself… huh…) And the sad thing was, that at the end of this chapter with Andou's profile—that was like… the most he was in it, and the profile's only one page. **

**I guess since he was in like… three pages of this chapter, then that's more but….arggh, it didn't feel like it DDX. I'm sad… **

**This is about to get sappy, so… brace yourselves. I'll try not to make Ame too Mary-Sueish. **

**But, for now, this is Andou's POV. Idk if I wrote him correctly… **

_Andou _

I only caught a brief glance of Ame during lunch. Once again, she was caught in a line—smashed against the wall, but she was giggling. I pushed my way through the crowd so I could stand next to her.

"I think you're too tiny to stand in lines." I said. She really wasn't that small, just a little taller than Ninako.

"Shut up." She grinned, trying to elbow her way past a group of girls. I grabbed her hand and pulled her a good ten feet forward.

"There. Now you're almost to the front." After ruffling her hair, I left. I was headed to the usual place Ninako eats lunch at, when Ren grabbed my arm.

"Can I talk with you for a second?" He said, looking strangely serious.

"Sure." I stopped walking and turned to face him.

"I thought you told me you were serious about Kinoshita-san."

"I am." I hadn't done anything! What was his problem?

"Let me see your phone." He held out his hand for it. "I saw you help a girl today."

"So… I can't help others?" I dropped my phone in his palm, and he immediately started scrolling through my contacts.

"Helping soon leads to other things with you. Is Ame her name?"

"Yes, she's a friend." Ren raised an eyebrow and gave me my phone. I rolled my eyes. "I don't even consider her a girl, really. She's like a little brother." I remembered that I had told Ninako I was only nice to the girl I liked, but once again, Ame didn't seem like a girl.

Ren looked at me for a moment longer before walking away.

Now, to find Ninako…

_Ame _

I couldn't find Takumi anywhere after school. Midori teased me about it as I looked, but I ignored her. Hanging out with Takumi was fun—not that hanging out with Midori wasn't, but I thought it would be nice to expand.

"You just like him because he's cuuute."

"Midori, I'm not seeing that movie with you this weekend if you don't shut it."

"If you admit he's cute I'll shut up."

"_Why _do you like torturing me so much?"

"Looooove."

"Ugh."

And we continued on like this for quite some time—it felt like we walked all the way around the school at least twice.

"Maybe we should just go back." I said, leaning against the wall. The sun was mercilessly bright and it was giving me a headache.

"But isn't that him?"

"What?" I said, my gaze snapping to where Midori was pointing. Takumi was talking to a girl just in front of the school. "But—but we passed here a million times!"

"I wanted to see how long it'd take you to notice. I'm training you, so that when you say you can't find the milk, I won't have to get it when it's right in front of your face." I groaned, sliding down so I could sit. I didn't have the energy to reply.

Takumi was smiling brightly, completely focusing on the girl he was talking to.

"That's probably the girl he likes." I said, rising to my feet. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Someone's _jealoussss_."

"I've known him for two days, Midori."

"Aw, you're no fun." And hand in hand, we walked home.

**A/N: Review please…sorry it's crap DX. **

**EDIT: Haaa… I was re-reading this for the first time… and I noticed I didn't delete part of what I was going to have happen, then decided against it. I must've been so tired DX. **


	4. Chapter 4: Ice Cream

**A/N: I am sorry this is soooo sappy. Andou might be OOC DX. I was listening to love-dovey music, and I just finished reading recent chapters of Strobe Edge—so I was filled with "wanting-to-cuddle-Andou" feelings. **

**Alright, I have actually decided where this story is gonna take place! **

**Er… Well, different stuff happens in the manga than what's in this story, but whatever! Strobe Edge started getting more interestin', sooo—this takes place at roughly chapter… 33 and onwards! Just 'cuz. **

**Again, not all events in the manga will be in this story… Probably. I'm kind of spacing out how they happened, so it's basically all…messed up. **

**I think I may make this story relatively short, hence why everything moves so fast X3**

To my surprise, Takumi came to find me at lunch. He didn't seem as cheerful though and the friendly grin he gave me was obviously fake. I didn't ask though—sometimes talking about it just made it worse.

I always just sit with Midori outside, so we all had a nice chat together. And soon the movie we were going to see this weekend came up.

"Takumi, you should come with us!" Midori suddenly chirped. I sighed, slapping a hand on my forehead. Sometimes she just failed to notice other people's moods. "It's this Saturday, it's supposed to be really go—OW!" I had stomped on her foot, in hopes she would get the message.

"That sounds great, I'd love to." Takumi said, flashing an artificial smile. I stood up and grabbed his arm, hauling him away from Midori.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." I said. He cocked his head to the side.

"I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to."

"There's obviously something bothering you." I said, trying to stare him down. "I just don't want you to force yourself to come."

"I'm fine," he mumbled, pouting. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Would it help if you talked about it?"

"Maybe on Saturday." Takumi winked and strolled back to Midori.

The rest of the week passed quickly, filled with boring schoolwork and hanging out with Midori and Takumi.

"Ame! Will you help me with this?" My aunt yelled from the kitchen. I hopped off my bed and quickly ran downstairs. If she needed help, it meant it was an emergency.

And sure enough, she was battling with the fire extinguisher, white foam all over the kitchen floor. The dish she had been trying to cook was on the stove, flaming. I pried the fire extinguisher from her hands and quickly doused the flames.

"Thanks," she gasped, collapsing in a kitchen chair.

"I'll make dinn—" I was interrupted by the ring of my cellphone. I tugged it out of my pocket and answered. "Hello?"

"Ame?" Takumi said, his voice oddly quiet. "This is Takumi."

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"C—can I come over?" He murmured. "I just… don't want to be all by myself…"

"Hang on a second." I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at my aunt. "Can my new friend come over for a bit?" She nodded.

"Yeah, do you want us to pick you up?"

"No, it's alright."

"Okay, well, just go to the supermarket, then keep going for three blocks, turn left, and my house is the first you'll see."

"M'kay. Thanks, Ame."

"Don't mention it." We hung up and I started to cook dinner.

"Are you alright?" My aunt asked.

"Mhmm. I'm just worried about my friend, that's all." I said, pulling out three bowls.

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang. I finished dishing out the food in the bowls, and ran to the door.

"Hey," Takumi said. His face looked haggard, his mouth a thin line. And he hadn't bothered to grab a sweatshirt, despite it being _freaking_ cold out. I grabbed his hand and tugged him to the kitchen.

"This is my aunt Hoshi." I said. Once introductions were finished, we all sat down and started eating. Takumi stayed quiet for most of the meal and the kitchen was filled with my aunt's chatter and mine.

"You and Takumi can go hang out, I'll clean up." My aunt said, piling the bowls in the sink.

"Don't set fire to anything!" I called as I pushed Takumi upstairs. I would have hung out in our backyard, but I didn't want to deal with the cold.

"Sorry, my room's kind of small." I said as I pushed open the door. I kicked some sketch books away to clear a path to the bed. I grabbed some blankets from the closet and laid them out on the floor.

"I can sit on the floor…" Takumi said as I sat down.

"No, I don't mind. You can have the bed." I rolled on my back and looked at the ceiling. Takumi laid on my bed, his back to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Andou 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ame's little voice said from the floor. To my surprise, I felt myself smile a little bit. I took a deep breath and exhaled. It's not that I didn't _want_ to tell her what was wrong, or that I didn't trust her… but I didn't know how to begin. "Hey." She suddenly said, and I felt a hand on my sleeve.

I rolled over to face Ame. Her long hair had fallen out of its ponytail, creating a halo of brown frizz around her face. I snickered. "What!" She whined.

"Your hair looks like an animal slept in it." I said. She rolled her eyes and scooted closer to the bed.

"Alright, alright. I have an idea. Quit laughing." I did my best to shut up. "I will tell you something that bothers me, or something about me, and then you can say part of what's bothering you, or something about yourself. You'll be able to know where to start more easily, if it's broken up… right?"

"How did you kno—"

"If you didn't want to talk about it, you would've said 'no' right away, instead of staying quiet. I know you better than you think." She smirked and poked out her tongue. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll start! I'm mad my designs aren't good enough." She said.

"They're good!"

"Not enough to actually be used. But I guess I'll just keep trying. Your turn."

"…I collect hats."

"Hats are cool." She rested her chin on her hand, brow wrinkling.

"I never met my parents."

Ame 

I looked at Takumi's face, who looked mildly surprised.

"Never?"

"Never. My aunt's the only one I have."

"Mmmm…" Takumi said, resting his arm in front of his face.

Andou

I thought for a moment, still wondering how to begin. "I thought my first love was using me, and it turns out she actually liked me." It seemed like a good place to start. Ame reached up and her small finger brushed the back of my hand.

"My aunt found me in a dumpster when I was a baby." I raised my head and stared at her, wide-eyed.

"'Sall right." She shrugged, even smiling. "I'm really happy with my aunt… although she's not even my aunt, but she claims she's too young to be a mom… Midori… and you. I don't even remember being in a dumpster." She patted my head, as if she were comforting _me. _"Of course, it'd be really nice to have parents too. But I can't change that."

"…You're making my problem seem much more pathetic." She shook her head.

"Nothing's pathetic if that's how you really feel. A problem with stress or something can be just as damaging as… an injury. ….Then again, there is the possibility of dying but…" She paused in her rant, laughing. _…She laughs easily… _

Ame 

I kept my hand on Takumi's head, fiddling with his soft hair. _He's like a kitty. _

"The girl I love right now likes someone else." He said.

"I have too much homework." I said. Takumi chuckled.

"You really have a range of issues, huh?"

"Mhmm. Homework is horrible." I gathered three locks of Takumi's hair, starting to braid it. There were a few moments of content silence. I finished braiding Takumi's hair, and started to draw my hand back. But his fingers closed around mine.

"I've already confessed to her, but she doesn't return my feelings. The guy she likes likes her too and I'm running out of time." He said all this in a quiet rush, like it would hurt less if he said it fast.

I didn't bother to say anything, knowing it wouldn't really help. Midori had experienced this same kind of thing a couple years ago, and all I could do was hug her. I sat behind Takumi on my bead, lifting his head on my lap. I grabbed my stress doll off my nightstand and handed him it and a pillow.

"You can squeeze this if you want, or scream into the pillow. Sometimes that helps."

Andou 

I squeezed the stress doll, reaching up to grab her hand. For some reason, it seemed to help a little.

It was weird… Ame almost seemed like a girl. But maybe that was because I hadn't ever laid my head on a guy's lap…or held hands.

"Oh yeah!" She suddenly scooted out from under my head and stood. "Wait here." She jogged out of the room.

I sat up and ran a hand through my hair… or tried to. Ame had decided to braid my hair. I laughed and flopped back down.

Her room was painted blue, with many of her tattoo designs painted right on the walls. Some of them just looked like amorphous blobs, which must have been her earlier ones. The floor was covered in sketch books and from what I could see, all of them were tattered.

At least I had two supporters now… Well, a bad one and a good one.

Ame 

I carried the massive sundae back up to my room. Hopefully Takumi liked vanilla ice cream… and sweet things in general.

"This will help." I said, handing it to him. "And if you don't like it, I'll be more than happy to eat it."

Takumi let me have half of the sundae, and we chattered about nothing for the next hour. And I hoped that he was feeling a little better, at least while the ice cream was still cold.


	5. Chapter 5: Slides, Soda, Clouds

**A/N: God, this chapter is stupid. I was in another sappy mood, and I read chapter 36 of Strobe Edge, so I was sadddd. **

**Sorry if people are OOC, and my writing is also stupid. **

**If you can't handle the bad… sappiness, don't read. **

**There's a time jump in here, because this way it won't move TOO fast. I was gonna break this up into a couple chapters, but I started having fun XD. **

Takumi was late for the movie on Saturday.

"…We're going to miss the beginning if he doesn't show up soon." Midori said. I nodded, biting my lip. _I wonder if something happened…_

"I'll try calling him again." I said, dialing Takumi's number. Midori collapsed onto a nearby bench and drummed her fingers on her lap.

Takumi's voice mail picked up, and I left one last message. "I guess we can go."

"M'kay." Said Midori as she rose. She linked arms with me and we walked into the theatre.

"I didn't burn anything!" My aunt said as soon as I walked into the house.

"Good!" I kicked off my shoes and walked into the kitchen. "I'll make dinner after I change. Midori and I walked around after the movie… remind me to get better walking shoes."

"We can get some tomorrow."

"Alright." I said, tenderly walking upstairs. My feet ached with each step, and upon reaching my room I collapsed on my bed. I pulled on a loose shirt and a comfortable pair of pants. I was just heading back downstairs when my cell phone rang. Takumi's name appeared on the screen.

"Hi! What happened?" I said.

"…Sorry I missed the movie." His voice sounded strangely hollow, and I didn't have the heart to be mad at him.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you later. I just wanted to apologize and let you know that I probably won't be at school for a while."

"Ah,"

"Do you want to come over next Saturday?"

"Sure." I sighed. _He better have a good reason. _

"Did you forget about me?" I heard a girl's voice say.

"…I'll let you go, you're obviously busy." I said. "I'll see you Saturday, bye." I hung up, and continued downstairs.

"…Are you okay?" My aunt said, after we had finished dinner. We were sitting in the living room, playing cards.

"Mmm." I said.

"…Do you want to talk about it?"

"What?"

"About why you're murdering that card?" She pointed to the twisted and bent card I held.

"Oh. I'm just worried, and kind of pissed off." I dropped the card and hopped onto the couch. "Takumi didn't show up for the movie on Saturday, and I just wished he would've called. And he sounded _really_ hollow when I talked to him, so I hope he's okay. But something obviously came up, and he did apologize…so… I feel like I shouldn't really be angry about it, before hearing the whole story. And at least he invited me over on Saturday, so it's not like he's completely brushing me off."

"Did he call you?"

"Yeah."

"You weren't in your room for very long, why did you hang up so fast? You usually talk to him for a while before dinner."

"He was with a girl."

"…You're this upset over a movie?"

"Well, it was inconsiderate!"

"Are you sure there isn't anything else?" She had this weird… smile on her face. I raised my eyebrows.

"Uh, like what?"

"Liiiiike…" She wiggled her eyebrows and I laughed.

"You're acting like Midori. _What?_"

"Like you're jealous?" I gaped at her.

"I've known the boy for a week!"

"Crushes don't take long to develop. I'm not saying you have to marry him."

"I'm not jealous…. Girls really get jealous that fast?"

"Uh-huh."

"Isn't that kind of… shallow? I mean, for barely knowing someone?"

"They're not in love, it's just a crush, nothing serious. Like how you have crushes on manga characters."

"Hmph. Now I feel like a whore, _thanks_."

Andou 

"Bye." The girl said, giving me one last kiss. I closed the door and threw on a pair of jeans. I doubted Ame would mind the mess.

I was just reaching for a shirt when the doorbell rang. I opened it and found Ame. She was pouting and carrying a thick packet of papers and wearing a sweater that looked way too big for her. Her dark frizzy hair was tied up in a long braid.

"…Skinny aren't you? Here." She tossed me the packet. "This is homework, and stuff that's gonna be on the test."

"…Ugh." I said, tossing the papers aside and pulling on a shirt. Ame plopped on the floor, fiddling with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. She was frowning at the floor, as if she was trying to figure out a math problem.

"So…what happened?" She said, suddenly looking up. I sat next to her and started sifting through the papers, explaining what had happened Saturday night.

"…Didn't want her to see me like that, so I left on my own."

"And you're sure your bruises are healed?"

"Yup."

"Alright." She narrowed her eyes at me, as if she was looking for something.

"…What?"

"…Nothin'." Ame said, clearly lying.

"Come onnn, what is it?" I said, shoving her shoulder lightly. "You haven't laughed this whole time, it's weird." I made a silly face at her, and she laughed.

_That's weird…_ This week, when I was with girls, I easily faked smiling and laughing. But with Ame it felt more genuine, like I was just _me_, and I didn't have Ninako or Ren to worry about.

It was nice.

Ame 

I reviewed everything with Andou for the rest of the day, and made sure to tell him to do his homework. I tried to be aware of how I felt, to see if I really did have a crush on him.

But nothing seemed different—I didn't feel nervous at all, and I was… just having fun.

He returned to school three days later, looking a little better.

I didn't have time to see him very much during the following week, between hanging out with Midori, drawing more designs, _and _schoolwork. We still chatted over the phone, and that was fun.

The weekend _finally_ arrived and I was able to finish all of my homework on Saturday. On Sunday, my aunt had to work, so I had the house to myself. I had just finished breakfast when someone knocked on the door. I put down my sketchbook and went to open the door.

"…Hey." Takumi said. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah." I closed the door behind him, and we went to the living room. Takumi sat on the floor, pulling his knees to his chest and dropping his head on them. I plopped next to him, nudging his shoulder.

Andou 

Ame nudged my shoulder. "You okay?" I shook my head. "…Well, I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."

"Can we do what we did last time?"

"Sure. Um… Cats freak me out."

"Why?"

"I think they're gonna slash my eyes out." I smiled.

"I still love her." I bit my lip, wondering if I could continue without crying. I felt Ame's small hand in mine, her fingers rough from kendo practice. "I'm glad she's with the guy she truly likes, though."

Ame

I sighed and rubbed Takumi's back. _Poor thing… _I listened as he continued to speak, telling me in more detail.

After he was finished, I stayed quiet, and just held his hand.

"Alright." I said after a few moments. "Let's go." I tugged him up and started pushing him out the door.

"Wait—what?"

"We," I said, successfully shoving him out the door and locking it. "Are going to the park. Or somewhere."

"Ame, I'm really not—"

"I _know_ you're hurt, but trust me—this is the best thing to do. If you just continue to focus on it, it's only going to get worse. You've had several days, right?"

"Yes bu—"

"I'm not saying you have to completely move on from it, but sometimes it's nice to have a break." I looked up at him. "If you _really_ don't want to, I won't force you."

Andou 

I ran a hand through my hair, debating. Ame's dark eyes were staring up at me, as if she could convince me to go. She was wearing the same sweater as last Saturday, the one that was way too big.

"…You look like you're trying to control my mind."

"What do you mean trying? I am." She grinned and lightly hit me with one of her sleeves. Before I could reply, she ran away.

"Oiiiii!" I yelled, sprinting after her. Her loud laugh echoed through the streets as I chased her to the park.

She immediately scampered onto the playground, and we had fun climbing over it for half an hour. Ame slid down the wide slide, and I slid down next to her.

"I bet I can climb up faster than you." She chirped.

"Pshh." I said, and we commenced to race.

"Ummm…Takumi?" A voice said. I glanced over my shoulder, losing my grip on the slide and sliding down.

"Mao?"

Ame 

A pretty girl was standing next to the slide. She didn't look happy about me being there, and she looked... almost determined.

Wasn't very hard to guess what she was so determined about.

"Well, I should be getting home. See you!" I said, sliding down the slide and starting to walk away.

"But Ame—" Takumi started.

"Have fun!" I called over my shoulder. I smiled, looking forward to a nice snack when I got home.

Takumi called me that night and explained to me who Mao was.

"Ohhh, I see. Well, when you're ready, you should give her a chance." I said. "Did you talk with her at all today?"

"A bit."

"Good!"

"Hmmph."

"I'll see you at school, okay?"

"Alright."

"Bye!" We hung up, and I snuggled under the covers of my bed. I pulled out my sketchbook and started doodling.

Six months soon passed, and everything started getting better. Midori found a new boyfriend, who was very nice. We all hung out together after school, and I never felt like a third-wheel. I started teaching my aunt how to draw, only because her failed attempts were extremely amusing. Takumi and I made it a regular thing to go to the park on Sundays, which was _super_ fun. Sometimes we raced each other (and let me tell you, seeing whoever can drink a soda the fastest is _not_ a good idea) and other times we laid on the grass and talked.

He still loved Ninako (he had pointed her and Ren out to me at school) but had started spending more time with Mao. Soon, he started talking less about how much he loved Ninako, and more about Mao, then about how nice Mao was, then about how cute she was and…

Yeah, you get the picture.

To be honest, it was getting a little boring—talking about Mao—but I definitely preferred a happy Takumi to a depressed one.

"…What's with you?" My aunt said one Sunday afternoon. I had just gotten back from the park, where Takumi had spent the _entire_ time talking about Mao. We hadn't invented any competitions at all, but instead planned how he was going to confess to her again. Personally, I don't see why we needed to plan since she already liked him, but he seemed to enjoy it.

I sat in a kitchen chair and started eating.

"Mmmph."

"You're acting weird. Did you even notice that what you're eating is something _I _made?"

"I don't really care."

"Ammmeeee," she sat next to me and poked my nose. "Why are you so sad?"

"I'm not sad."

"Um, yeah, you are. You're crying." She touched my face and held up her finger, which had a drop on it.

"Huh?" I said, brushing a hand across my face. My cheeks were wet. "Uh… I don't know, hormones?"

"Did something happen?"

"It was boring today."

"But you always have fun with Takumi!"

"We didn't compete at all."

"So you're crying?"

"I guess." I sighed. "I don't know, usually I don't mind too much talking about Mao, even if there are days when we don't have any competitions. I mean, we talk about other stuff during the week, so he's really not that bad."

"Ooooh, I see." She said, draping an arm around my shoulders. "It's alright, dear."

"Huhh?"

"It's always hard the first time."

"Okay, seriously, where are you going with this? I'm not even crying anymore."

"…How could I have raised such a stupid niece?"

"Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

"That you're in love with Takumi and very hurt? Then yes."

"I am not!"

"I think you are, dear."

"I've only known him for—for—" I faltered.

"Not going to work this time! Six months!"

"Yeah, but—"

"I have a test!"

"Oh boy, _this_ should be good."

"Tell me what you like about Midori."

"Personality or how she looks?"

"Both."

"Alright, uhh…. She's always really nice to me, and she makes me laugh. Her hands are pretty. She always looks at my designs, even if I've only changed them a little. And she has really pretty hair and a contagious smile. And er…. Yeah, other stuff."

"Now tell me about Takumi."

"Let's see umm…" I bit my lip and took another bite of… the food had been burned beyond recognition. "He's sincere about everything he does, he put himself before Ninako… um… He's really easy to talk to, I can say almost anything and he doesn't get annoyed, he's super sweet and funny, I'm never nervous around him. Uhhh…" I drummed my fingers on the table. "There's probably more, I just can't think of an—"

"HA! I was right!" She actually pumped her fist into the air.

"What?"

"You mentioned absolutely _nothing _about how he looks."

"And?"

"Which means you really like him as a person."

"…Couldn't that just mean that I don't focus on how he looks?"

"Shush, I'm right. If you were just friends, you wouldn't have cried when he was talking about another girl."

"Whatever, I'm going to bed." I dropped my empty bowl in the sink and went to my room.

I was planning to draw some new designs, so I put on some music and commenced to space out. About a minute later I glanced down at what I had drawn and jumped.

It was a rough sketch of slide, like the one at the park I went to with Takumi. I flipped to a new page and started to draw again.

A soda can.

New page.

A cloud.

Okay, this was getting freaky.

…But I guess it meant I really did love Takumi, huh?

_Wooow, this sucks. _I set my sketchbook down and couldn't help but laugh at how stupid I was. I hadn't cried today because I was disappointed about not competing with Takumi, but because I realized he didn't love me.

"You idiot." I sighed and leaned against my pillows. _I suppose he would've still thought of me as just a friend, even if I had realized it and confessed. _

"Ame?" My aunt said from outside my door. I heard her footsteps approach the bed, and it sagged when she sat on it. "Oh, dear, I'm sorry." Her cool hand brushed my hair back from my forehead. "But it'll be okay."

"I feel stupid. This is ridiculous." I sniffed.

"You're not—okay, yeah, you are stupid. But this doesn't mean you're completely obsessed over him like the girls you see at school, this is normal." I laughed and sat up.

"I think I'm going to tell him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I want to be honest. I mean I'm not going to ask him out, I just feel like I should tell him. It'll be easier to move on, you know?"

"So you think after you tell him, everything will be alright?"

"No, but won't it be easier? He'll go out with Mao, and I can see that and think 'Oh, all right. Time to move on.'"

"Dear, it doesn't really work that way."

"I know I won't be able to move on immediately, and it's going to hurt—but I don't want to keep secrets."

"…Isn't it kind of late?"

"Nah, he'll be up." I wiped my eyes firmly and pulled on my favorite huge sweater. As I walked to Takumi's house, I typed a quick text: _Can I come over? _

He responded when I was a block away: _Yes. _

_Ame, you cannot cry. It's going to make him feel bad. No crying. _

"Hey, I'll be quick." I said when he opened the door.

"Why aren't you coming in?"

"No need, seriously, this will just take a minute. Umm…" I took several deep breaths and looked up at him.

Andou 

Ame's eyes were red and a little swollen. Her long hair flowed in a wavy tangled mass down her shoulders.

For some reason, she looked especially tiny in her sweater tonight.

"Umm…" Her dark gaze held mine, and her fists were balled up. "I know that—that you love Mao, and er… I really _do_ hope everything works out with you and her, but um…" She stopped and rubbed a hand over her eyes. "I just want to—to—be honest with you, because you're really sweet and fun to be with, and um… I don't want anything to change between us, so that's why I'm telling you this. Um…" A few tears trickled down her face, and she quickly wiped them away. I blinked, I hadn't ever seen her cry before, and it felt… wrong, somehow. She always seemed like someone who _never _cried.

And for some reason, seeing her little face crumple like that made me sad, too.

"Ame—"

"No, wait, let me finish. Er…" On impulse, I reached out and took her hand, like a big brother would. "I… I…"

A few more tears escaped and this time she didn't brush them away. "I… love… you." She sniffled and hiccupped, but she didn't look away from me. I really should have seen this coming earlier, but the idea of Ame loving me just seemed so… so… _impossible _that I hadn't thought of it. "S—sorry, I was trying not to cry. I know it seems stupid, telling you this, and I s—still just want to be f—friends. But now I can move on, better, I—I hope."

"Ame, I'm sorry." I pulled her into a hug, patting her back as she cried. "You're one of my best friends, though."

"Th—thanks. You're one of mine, too."

Ame 

_Stuuupid, you weren't supposed to cry! _I was able to compose myself quickly, and when I did I stepped back, although it felt nice hugging him.

"So, you're going to ask Mao tomorrow, right?"

"Ame, we don't have to talk about this."

"No, it's okay. I don't want you to act any different, alright?" He still looked doubtful. "You hear me?"

"Okaaay."

"Good." I shoved his shoulder teasingly. "You better tell me all about it after you ask her."

"Of course." I managed to smile, waving to him as I walked into the night.

**PREVIEW!: **

"Ame, would you come down here?"

"Yeah!" I hopped off my bed and walked into the living room. "What is it?"

"Dear, I just got off the phone with a local orphanage. The one you stayed at before they'd let me adopt you."

"Oh, well, what is it?"

"They think they might have found your parents, but they need a DNA test to be sure."

**A/N: This wasn't edited at all, because I'm lazy like that. Pllleeaaseee reviewwwwwww! **

**I'll probably update pretty soon, I'm into this story, haha! **


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